Deception
by Firestar13
Summary: Naruto successfully returns Sasuke to Konoha. He realizes he must become stronger and the Kyuubi agrees to train him. After a heartbreaking encounter with Sakura, he decides he must leave the village. The question is, how will he escape? And where will he go? Includes a long time-skip. Pairings to be decided. Rated M mostly for language. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Deception: Chapter 1

Uzumaki Naruto stumbled towards the gates of Konoha, struggling to carry the unconscious load draped over his shoulders. He had succeeded. He had defeated Sasuke at the Valley of the End and managed to bring him back alive. Of course, Sasuke had done his best to prevent this. The gaping hole through Naruto's chest was proof enough of that. Naruto quickened his pace as he felt his body starting to give out on him. He had lost too much blood. For some reason, the wound in his chest was not healing as fast as it should have been. Usually the Kyuubi would be on top of things like this, healing his wounds within seconds.

Naruto's vision started to blur and the world around him began to spin. His breathing quickened as he started to panic. He was going to die. After all his work, he was going to die before he even completed his promise. Suddenly, he stumbled forward and lost his footing. As the ground came up to meet him, he saw a flash of gray hair before everything went black.

"Kakashi, how is he doing?" The busty blonde Hokage sat behind her desk, her hands gripped together tightly, causing the knuckles to turn white. Kakashi sighed.

"Naruto is stable. They closed up his chest wound, and he is expected to make a full recovery." Tsunade's grip relaxed when she heard of Naruto's improved condition. "However, something is bothering me." Tsunade raised her eyebrow as she studied the masked Jounin in front of her.

"Oh? What is it?" She asked

"It's… It's about the Kyuubi. Whenever Naruto is injured the Kyuubi heals him almost immediately. That was not the case this time. When I found him, he was still losing blood and all his wounds were still fresh."

"I see." Tsunade leaned back in her chair and glanced out the window towards the portraits of her predecessors carved into the mountainside. After a few moments of pondering she returned her gaze to Kakashi.

"Something must have happened during his battle that caused the Kyuubi to stop healing him. We can ask him after he wakes up. Kami knows we won't get any information out of Sasuke about it. How is that traitor anyways?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Well, he's certainly causing a ruckus in his hospital room. We placed chakra suppressor seals on him and have him under constant surveillance. What should we do with him?"

Tsunade sighed. "I wish we could keep him locked up forever. Unfortunately, the council wouldn't like it if their 'precious Uchiha' spends the rest of his days wasting away behind bars. They will override my decision and he will most likely be placed on a short probation before becoming an active ninja once again."

Kakashi nodded. "I see. Once he is released from prison, I'll keep a close eye on him and make sure he stays put in the village."

"Excellent. Keep me informed. If that is all, you're dismissed." Kakashi saluted before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Tsunade sighed as she massaged her temples. She had barely been Hokage for more than a few weeks and she was already dealing with all this shit. "Where the fuck is my sake?"

Haruno Sakura had heard the news. How could she not? It had spread around the village like wildfire. Uchiha Sasuke had returned! He was still in the hospital, so Sakura had decided to visit him there and tell him how happy she was that he had come back.

Sakura approached the reception desk. "Hi, where is Uchiha Sasuke's room?"

The receptionist looked up from her paperwork. "Uchiha Sasuke? He's under ANBU surveillance and isn't allowed to have any visitors."

Sakura frowned. "Are you sure? I'm his teammate and I wanted to see how he was doing. I heard he might be injured."

The receptionist shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you. These are orders from Hokage-sama herself." Sakura sighed and was about to turn around and head home. Suddenly another hospital worker popped her head around the corner.

"Sakagami-san, we need some help back here!" She disappeared just as quickly. The receptionist cursed under her breath and left to go help. Sakura looked around and realized there was no one else in the reception room. As quickly as she could, she searched the desk and found Sasuke's room number. She took off down the hallway before the receptionist could return and catch her red-handed.

She arrived at his room in a dark and obscure section of the hospital. She could tell it was his before she got there from the lone ANBU guard standing outside the door. The ANBU noticed her approaching.

"I'm sorry, but the Uchiha is not allowed visitors at this time." Sakura quickly thought of a plan.

"It's ok, Hokage-sama sent me herself. She asked me to ask him a few questions. She felt that it could be easier for me to do it since I'm his teammate." She gave the ANBU guard a smile. The man studied her for a minute before relenting. He stepped aside and allowed her to enter the room.

"Very well, you have 5 minutes." Sakura nodded and opened the door and stepped inside.

Sasuke was lying in the hospital bed. He was covered in bandages and his left arm was in a sling. Sakura could tell that he had been through a hell of a fight. Sasuke had looked up when he heard the door open. He recognized the face of his teammate. The one he hadn't just fought to the near-death.

"What do you want?" He was not in the mood for any of Sakura's fan girl tendencies. Sakura was shocked to see how much damage had been done to Sasuke in his fight.

"Sa-Sasuke? What happened? Why are you so hurt?" Sakura stared at him with wide eyes. Sasuke snorted. Suddenly, he got an idea. He smirked.

"That blonde piece of shit managed to get the jump on me. He attacked me out of the blue while I was trying to come back to the village." Sakura gasped.

"You mean Naruto? He did that to you?"

"Yeah. I tried to tell him I had changed my mind and wanted to come back, but he didn't want to listen. He tried to kill me! I was weak from escaping from the Sound 4, so it was all I could do to make it back to the village before he got me!" Sasuke smiled inwardly as he watched Sakura become more and more horrified as he continued his tale.

"Where is he now?" She asked quietly.

"That's the worst part! Everyone thinks he brought me back, so they're treating him like a hero! He's staying somewhere in the hospital. I managed to get a few good shots in too." Sakura's eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. It wasn't fair. Sasuke had decided to come back and Naruto attacked him. Yet Sasuke was the one under ANBU watch and Naruto was a hero. She had to do something about this. She turned on her heel and dashed out of the room. As she left, she missed the maniacal grin that had slowly appeared on Sasuke's face.

"Take that you dobe. This is what you get for bringing me back to this hellhole. Who do you think people will believe? The orphan with no skill, or the last member of the legendary Uchiha clan?"

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _

The sound of dripping water reached Naruto's ears and he slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He appeared to be in some kind of sewer. There was a large cage directly in front of him. He knew exactly where he was.

"Oi, Kyuubi!" Naruto yelled towards the cage. Suddenly, two demonic yellow eyes appeared out of the darkness.

"**What do you want brat? Why are you disturbing me?"**

"I want to know why you didn't heal my wounds! What gives? I almost died!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the large demon. The Kyuubi growled in response.

"**Foolish boy! I didn't heal you because you are weak! You are pathetic! You are the container of the greatest demon in the world, yet your skills are horrendous! This was proven to me during your fight with the Uchiha boy. You would not have stood a chance if it wasn't for my power!" **Naruto grimaced. He knew a lot of what the fox was saying was true. He was weak.

"I know I'm weak, but if I die, you die with me! So it's in your best interest to keep me alive right?" The Kyuubi made a noise that sounded similar to a snort.

"**I would rather die than be associated with a weakling such as yourself!" **Naruto glared at the large beast.

"If you don't want me to be weak, then train me yourself!" The Kyuubi paused. Meanwhile Naruto continued his rant. "You want to be associated with a strong container to show how powerful you are, right? Well then train me! We can both accomplish our goals this way! I get stronger, and you get to prove that you're the best demon in the world!" Naruto drew a breath after his speech and waited for the Kyuubi's response. After an anxious minute, the Kyuubi finally spoke.

"**Surprisingly, you raise a good point. Very well, I will train you. However there is a condition." **Naruto couldn't believe the demon fox had agreed.

"Uh ok, what's the condition?"

"**You must leave the village during our training."**

"WHAT?!"

"**It's the only way. You will be using my chakra on a regular basis and that cannot happen while we are in this god-forsaken village. You would be chained and imprisoned by your council without hesitation!" **Naruto grimaced. He understood what the Kyuubi was saying.

"How can I just leave my village? It's my home! There are people here that care about me now! I've made friends!" The Kyuubi let out a sigh. It knew of the hardships the boy faced while growing up, and knew that it was responsible for them.

"**You will come back when your training is over. Anyways, you don't have to make a decision yet. Think about it and give me your answer." **

"Fine. I'll think about it." With that, Naruto was kicked from his mindscape and returned to the real world.

He opened his eyes and saw the blank white ceiling that indicated in he was in a hospital room.

_Leave my village? Is the fox crazy? But… If I really want to get stronger, do I have a choice? _Naruto mulled over these thoughts in his head.

Suddenly his door burst open. Naruto looked up in surprise.

"Sakura?"

Indeed it was Sakura who stood out of breath in his doorway. Naruto grinned.

"Sakura-chan! I brought him back! It was tough but-"

"Shut up!" Naruto recoiled in shock at the venomous interruption.

"W-what? Sakura-chan what's wrong?" Now that he looked closely, Sakura did not seem very happy. In fact, he had never seen her look at him this way before. Sure, she usually gave him looks of annoyance or exasperation, but this was different. It was a look of pure hatred. Naruto knew that look very well. It was the way all the villagers always looked at him. But for the life of him he could not figure out what he had done to anger her.

"Don't spout that bullshit Naruto! I know the truth! I know how Sasuke tried to return to the village but you attacked him for no reason!" She pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. Naruto's eyes widened in shock. What was she talking about?

"Sakura-chan, I don't know what you're talking about! That's not-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Sakura screamed, interrupting him once again. Before Naruto even realized what had happened, Sakura approached his bed.

_WHACK_

Naruto recoiled in shock. He reached up to his face and felt the hand-shaped mark appearing on his cheek. She had slapped him. She had hit him before, but never like this. Naruto couldn't believe it. Sakura was not done yet. She prepared herself to launch another verbal assault.

"I can't believe how selfish you are! You were jealous of Sasuke-kun and I, so you tried to kill him before he could come back to the village! Obviously you launched a sneak attack; there is no way you would have won otherwise! The villagers were right about you! You're a demon! You're scum that doesn't deserve the respect of anyone!" Naruto felt something inside of him shatter at her final words. He lowered his head and allowed his bangs to cover his eyes.

Fueled by her rage, Sakura raised her hand and went to strike Naruto again. Suddenly she felt a strong grip around her arm. She turned in shock to see none other then their sensei, Kakashi Hatake.

"That's enough." Kakashi's voiced was filled with a mix between anger and disappointment. Sakura took notice of this.

"But Kakashi-sensei he-"

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH HARUNO!" Sakura recoiled at the sudden outburst. She turned quickly and ran out of the room. Kakashi turned his now sympathetic gaze towards the only student he had left that had not disappointed him.

"Naruto… Are you ok? I'm sure she didn't really mean any of it. She just wasn't thinking clearly." Naruto slowly raised his head at Kakashi's words. Kakashi let out a small gasp when he saw his pupil's eyes. They had changed. Gone were the bright and happy cerulean orbs that everyone had come to associate with him. His eyes had become dark and dull. If Kakashi couldn't see Naruto breathing he would have assumed he was dead. The masked Jounin sighed. He laid a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It'll be ok Naruto. You still have people here that love you. Remember that." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, intent on reporting this little incident to the Hokage immediately.

Naruto sat quietly in his bed, staring at the blank hospital wall across from him. He didn't move for several minutes and the only sound heard was the ticking of the clock.

_Kyuubi? _

_**What is it Naruto?**_The Kyuubi had seen the altercation with the pink-haired girl. It had felt a strange sensation in its gut as it observed how she had treated him. But it couldn't be. There was no way. The Kyuubi no Kitsune, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, never showed such worthless emotions such as compassion and sympathy. Especially for the one who kept it caged.

Naruto took a deep breath before he answered.

_I want to leave the village. To train and become stronger._


	2. Chapter 2

Deception: Chapter 2

Sakura moved quickly through the halls of the hospital. She passed bustling nurses and patients, failing to acknowledge any of them. Her head was bowed, lost in thought.

She didn't understand. Kakashi-sensei was siding with Naruto over Sasuke! It didn't make any sense. Why would he believe the orphan boy who made a living playing pranks over the heir to the legendary Uchiha clan? It was obvious to her that Naruto wasn't telling the truth.

_If Kakashi-sensei can't see the truth, then I only have one option._

Sakura exited the hospital and took off towards her destination, intent on setting things straight.

Naruto currently found himself in his mindscape once again, staring through the cage at the demon fox hidden in the darkness. He had agreed to meet with the fox when it said that they would have to discuss the plans for his training.

"So Kyuubi, what's the plan? How will I get stronger? Are you going to teach me a bunch of techniques?" Naruto pestered the fox with questions. Suddenly he placed his hand under his chin and seemed to ponder something.

"How the fuck does a demon train a human anyway? " The Kyuubi let out a sigh of exasperation.

"**I have lived for thousands of years. I have been caged within you humans for most of the last century. It was quite easy for a being such as myself to pick up on the skills and training methods that you measly humans have developed." **Naruto scowled at the insults.

"Oh yeah? Well those 'measly humans' are the reason you're stuck inside me, having this conversation right now. So go fuck yourself you giant fur ball!" The Kyuubi blinked. It blinked again.

"**YOU INSOLENT BRAT! I HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE YOU ONE OF THE MOST FEARED SHINOBI IN THIS WORLD. YOU WOULD DO WELL TO REMEMBER THAT." **The blast of chakra that accompanied the outburst was enough to send Naruto crashing into the far wall. He fell to the ground in a heap. He slowly stood up and dusted himself off. Looking up, he grinned at the fox.

"Well what are we waiting for? I'll leave my mindscape and we can escape the village right now!"

"**Unfortunately, it is not that simple. As soon as we leave the village, we will be hunted down and either killed or arrested for desertion. Your village council will jump at any opportunity to kill you off and you are nowhere near strong enough to fight the ANBU that they would undoubtedly send."**

"Well then what can we do? It's not like no one will notice the disappearance of the only demon container in the whole village."

"**I… I might have a plan. However I will address another problem first. I will not be able to teach you in the form I am in now. It is much to impractical to use this large body."**

"…Eh? That's not your only form? I thought you were supposed to be a demon fox!"

The Kyuubi sighed.

"**I suppose I should teach you some of our history. Very well. No, this is not my true form. Technically, I am not a demon fox. I am a demon who controls the Fox Spirit."**

"Fox Spirit? What is that?"

"**I'm getting to that. Long ago, when the Sage of the Six Paths split us into nine different beings, he gave each of us the spirit of one of the nine mythical animals that reside in this world. They are: the Raccoon, the Cat, the Turtle, the Ape, the Horse, the Slug, the Beetle, the Bull, and finally the Fox. The number of tails we have in our Beast Form represents our strength. Obviously I have nine, so I am considered the strongest." **

"Wow. So… if that's your Beast Form, what do you actually look like?"

"**Allow me to show you." **

Naruto watched as the Kyuubi started to glow bright red. Naruto covered his eyes and waited for the light to fade. When it did, he could see nothing inside the depths of the cage in front of him. As he was wondering what happened, he suddenly heard footsteps. A figure appeared from the shadows and easily slipped between the bars of the cage. After taking a moment to comprehend what he was seeing, Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"W-what… You're a girl!" Naruto openly gaped in shock. He had never in a million years suspected that the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the harbinger of destruction, would be a _girl_. And as Naruto stared even longer, he realized that she was not just a girl, but also an extremely attractive woman.

The woman in front of him had waist-length orange hair and fair skin. She wore a small black tank top over a long sleeve fishnet shirt, and an equally small black skirt. Both left little to the imagination. An orange sash tied around her waist completed the wardrobe.

"Phew, it feels good to finally be back in this form. I think it's been a couple hundred years at least!" The Kyuubi yawned and stretched her arms above her head, pushing her already sizeable bust out a little further.

When Naruto finally recovered from his shock and had fully appreciated the amazing figure of the woman in front of him, he started to notice smaller details about her appearance. Details that differentiated her from looking quite like a normal human. For starters, her eyes were blood red with vertical slits for pupils. She had elongated canines and long, sharp nails. He realized that she had whisker marks just like his on her cheeks as well. Naruto also spotted the kanji for nine that was tattooed in orange ink on her right shoulder. However, the most glaring part of her appearance, one that Naruto had no idea how he missed at first, were the orange fox-like ears that sat on top of her head. Naruto looked at them for a few seconds, trying to process exactly what he was seeing. Suddenly, one of the ears twitched slightly and he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"HAHAHAHA! Your ears! What's up with your ears!?" Naruto pointed and laughed mercilessly as tears fell from his eyes.

The Kyuubi was not amused.

"Shut up you brat! I'll have you know that these ears make me look exotic! It's part of my sex appeal!" She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. However, her anger caused both ears to twitch rapidly and this sent Naruto into another fit of giggles. She growled in annoyance but waited until he finally calmed down before entering lecture mode once again.

"As you can see, this is my Partial Demon Form. It is the most comfortable and easy to maneuver in. The Full Demon Form looks similar, but is much more powerful and not quite as practical. This is the form I will be in during your training. So from this point forward, I will be your Sensei, and you will refer to me as such."

To his credit, Naruto immediately straightened up and gave the half-demon a salute.

"Hai, Kyuubi-sensei!"

The Kyuubi frowned and seemed to ponder something for a moment. She stared at him intently and just when Naruto was beginning to get nervous, she let out deep breath.

"Minami."

Naruto stared at her in confusion.

"Uh… what?"

She growled in annoyance once again.

"My name you idiot. My name is Minami."

Naruto looked at her in shock.

"I thought your name was Kyuubi! Isn't that what everyone calls you?"

"Of course my name isn't Kyuubi! That LITERALLY means Nine Tails! What kind of asshole would name their kid that!? No, when the Sage of the Six Paths created us, he gave us all names. Most humans are unaware of this, and gave us names themselves. That is where the name you know of came from."

Naruto was too dumbfounded to speak properly.

"Oh."

Minami let out a sigh.

"Now that we're acquainted and everything, let's talk about how we're going to get out of this village."

"You said you might have a plan to do that?" Naruto gave her a quizzical look.

"Yes. Although you probably won't like it."

Naruto shrugged.

"It can't be that bad. I'm sure I'll-"

"Fake your own death."

Naruto immediately shut up. He tried to process what she had said. However he was having trouble and all he could do was open and close his mouth several times. Finally, he seemed to salvage his ability to speak once again.

"Eh?"

"You heard me. You're going to fake your own death. It's the only way. If you do that, then no one will search for you because they'll think you're dead and buried right under their noses."

"Oh. But what about the people who still care about me? What about Baa-chan, Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei and Ichiraku's? Or my classmates? They'll think I'm dead!"

Minami sighed.

"Look, I know that this will be hard. But just remember that one day you can come back, stronger than ever, and show them all that you're still alive. It's not like you'll be gone forever. It'll be worth it. You'll just have to trust me on this."

For some reason that Naruto couldn't quite explain, he did trust her. He took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll do it… But how? Won't they need a body to bury?"

Upon hearing his question, Minami gave a feral grin that made Naruto shudder instinctively.

Tsunade sat in her office, gazing out the window towards the late morning activity of the beautiful village below. Unfortunately, her mind was too preoccupied to appreciate the view in front of her.

She was attempting to sort out the information she had received just the day before.

Kakashi's had brought news concerning a confrontation between Naruto and Sakura. He had said that Sakura seemed to believe wholeheartedly that Naruto had attacked Sasuke without provocation, while Sasuke was trying to return to the village on his own. Tsunade, of course, knew none of that was true. Kakashi gave his official report saying that he found Naruto attempting to return an unconscious Sasuke back to the village before Naruto himself passed out as well. And she trusted Kakashi Hatake with her life.

A knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in!"

The door opened and revealed Homura and Koharu, advisers to the Hokage and members of the Council. Tsunade despised them almost as much as she did that old war hawk Danzo. They lived in the past and did everything they could to usurp her position and weaken her power.

"What do you two want?"

Koharu spoke first.

"Certain… information has been brought to our attention. And we the Council have decided to take action accordingly. We merely came by to inform you of our decision, so you would not be caught by surprise."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right. They appeared much too smug for her liking.

"What the hell are you talking about? What information?"

This time it was Homura.

"We were informed of the Kyuubi brat's traitorous actions towards a fellow Konoha shinobi. That shinobi of course, was the heir to the Uchiha clan, and a very important member of this village. We cannot let his actions go unpunished. We have issued a warrant for his arrest to all ANBU for the crime of treason."

Tsunade could not believe what she was hearing. She stood up and slammed her hands down on her desk, cracking it in two.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! I will not allow that to happen! Naruto is innocent and you old bastards know it! Call off that order NOW!"

Koharu sighed.

"Language, Tsunade-hime. But I am afraid we cannot do that. We have sources confirming the boy's treason, and we must take action accordingly. He is probably being detained as we speak."

Tsunade's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger.

"Get the fuck out. Now. I'll deal with you and the Council later."

The two old advisers turned and left without another word.

Tsunade knew that Naruto had been released from the hospital just that morning, so he could be anywhere in the village at this point. It was only a matter of time until the ANBU pinpointed his location. There was no way to contact all the ANBU teams immediately, so she would have to wait until they found him, then issue the release order. Then she would take care of the Council.

Naruto walked down a busy road of Konoha, enjoying the feeling of finally being released from the hospital. He noticed the glares he was receiving from most of the villagers, but paid them no mind.

_Fuck you all. Soon I'll be out of here and you guys can celebrate as much as you want!_

He really couldn't wait to get away from his teammates. After what Sakura had said to him, he hoped he never saw her face again. And he was almost positive that Sasuke was the one who fed her those lies about what happened during their battle. As far as Naruto was concerned, Team 7 no longer existed.

Before Naruto could react, six ANBU members appeared out of thin air and moved to surround him. Naruto instinctively raised his arms, preparing for an attack. An ANBU with the mask of a bear spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto. You are hereby placed under arrest for the act of treason against Konohagakure no Sato. Any resistance on your part will be met with lethal force. Do you understand?"

The six agents all drew their tantos. Naruto was dumbfounded. He could understand Sakura listening to Sasuke's story, but the fucking ANBU? What the actual fuck was going on?

Seeing the commotion, villagers began to gather around and cheered when they heard the ANBU's words. 

"Wait! I haven't done anything! Whatever you guys were told isn't true!" Naruto waved his hands, desperately trying to get his point across.

The bear mask spoke again.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I will not repeat myself. Stand down or we will use lethal force."

This could not be happening. He was going to be arrested! For treason! There was no way he was going to spend the rest of his life rotting away in some jail cell! Where the hell was the Hokage? He needed someone with authority here! He was innocent dammit!

Naruto entered a state of panic. He flared his chakra and attempted to escape from the ANBU. Before he could even make it a few feet, he felt the bear mask's tanto impale him through the abdomen. He looked down in shock, unable to process what he was seeing. He grabbed at the bloody sword and gasped for breath. Blood ran out of his mouth and trickled down his chin. With a viscous pull, the ANBU removed the weapon from Naruto's body, causing Naruto to cough up blood. Without the support of the sword, Naruto collapsed to his knees. He could faintly hear the ANBU speaking to him once again.

"You resisted. This is your fault."

Naruto reached for the man's leg as he continued to cough and his vision started to dim. The last thing he felt was the sliding of cold metal across his neck.

Tsunade raced through the village in a state of panic. She had felt Naruto's surge of chakra. It most likely meant the ANBU had found him. But if they thought he was trying to fight back… Tsunade knew ANBU were always authorized to use force to subdue their target.

She finally reached the area where she had felt his chakra spike. Sure enough, she spotted the ANBU members and a crowd of villagers around them. They all seemed to be standing in a circle, as if surrounding someone… Tsunade's eyes widened and she quickened her pace. As she got closer, she could start to see inside the circle.

There was blood all over the ground. A lot of blood. That couldn't all be from one person, there was no way. Tsunade finally reached the edge of the circle and franticly pushed through the throng of villagers and reached the ANBU inside.

She could not comprehend what she was seeing. She stared in shock at the body in front of her. It was Naruto. And he wasn't moving.

She pushed aside the ANBU and collapsed on her knees next to him. She didn't have to search his body for wounds. The gash across his throat and the hole in his chest were clearly visible.

"No… no no no!" Tsunade desperately tried to heal him. But even in her crazed frenzy she could tell that she was too late. His eyes looked up towards the clouds, glazed and unseeing. His body was already becoming cold.

"No, this can't be happening! Please! NO!" Tsunade held his body close to her as she began to cry out in anguish.

Kakashi had arrived on the scene just after Tsunade and could only look on in shock. He could faintly hear the cheers coming from some of the villagers around him. Suddenly angry beyond words, he turned on everyone else.

"All of you! Get the fuck out of here! You disgust me. You have no idea what this boy was really like, or who he really was! LEAVE!" With the last word Kakashi flared his chakra and scared the villagers away. The ANBU reluctantly left as well, most likely to report the success of the mission to the council.

Kakashi knew all he could do now was comfort his grieving Hokage.

And so it was on this day that Konoha lost the boy known as Uzumaki Naruto. His funeral was held the next day, with only a small number in attendance. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the Konoha 11 excluding Sasuke and Sakura were the only attendees. The grief of the people who had known Naruto was tangible in the air. He was a star that had burned brightly for all of them, and they vowed to never forget him.

Deep within the forests of Fire Country, a single cloaked figure made their way towards the border, intent on leaving the village of Konoha far behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Deception: Chapter 3

**Six Years Later**

A hooded man strolled leisurely down the heavily worn path that lead to the main entrance of Konohagakure no Sato. His black hood kept his appearance completely hidden. The only thing that about the man that could be discerned was that he appeared to be quite tall. Hands stuffed in the pockets of his traveling cloak, he exuded a heavy aura of confidence. To the casual observer he appeared to be completely unaware of his surroundings. In fact, this is exactly what the group of bandits hidden in the trees on either side of the road thought as well.

The bandit leader smirked from his position in the branches, hidden from view. It was almost too easy. A lone traveler with absolutely no protection or knowledge of his surroundings. The man also appeared to be stupid enough to not even be on his guard. The bandit leader unsheathed his sword and gave the silent signal to advance.

The hooded man stopped suddenly as his path became blocked by what appeared to be a group of bandits. He noted that there were ten of them and they had him completely surrounded. Despite his situation, the mysterious man's posture remained the same. The bandit directly in front of him appeared to be the leader. He stepped forward and addressed the man.

"Listen up fucker. Give us everything you've got, and we'll think about letting you live." He smirked and raised his sword for emphasis.

A sigh came from the man.

"Oi oi, I wouldn't try that if I were you." The man's voice was deep and gruff.

"Oh? If you haven't noticed, there are ten of us and only one of you. You don't even have any weapons! It seems you're to stupid to realize the situation you're in."

The man's only response was to sigh again.

The bandit leader became angered by the lack of fear coming from the man. He gritted his teeth.

"Fine, have it your way! Attack!" The bandit leader snarled as he jumped forward, sword positioned to strike. His men quickly followed suit.

"I warned you..."

As the bandit leader's sword was about to reach its target, he noticed the feral grin under the man's hood.

Then the world turned red.

* * *

Kotetsu and Izumo were once again assigned to gate duty. Much to their annoyance, it appeared to now be a daily occurrence for the Chuunin duo. They sat in the booth by the main entrance to Konoha attempting to find ways to pass the time.

"Dammit! I hate gate duty! Why the fuck is it always us?!" Kotetsu finally yelled after their 1000th game of rock-paper-scissors. Izumo shrugged his shoulders and continued to keep a look out towards the road leading up to the gate.

"I don't know. There's nothing we can do about it right now though. Once we become Jounin we can pawn this shitty job onto someone else."

Kotetsu let out a groan.

"And when the hell are we gonna be Jounin? We've been Chuunin for eight years now! Even most of the members of the Rookie Nine are Jounin at this point!"

Izumo suddenly stiffened. Kotetsu noticed the change in his partner's demeanor and followed his gaze down the road. A lone man appeared to be walking casually towards the entrance. As he came closer, Kotetsu and Izumo realized the man was wearing a dark hood to cover his face and a matching cloak. The man finally reached the gates and ignoring Kotetsu and Izumo completely, attempted to walk straight into the village.

The Chuunin duo appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Izumo spoke first.

"What is your business with Konoha? We can't just allow any traveler to meander into our village on a whim."

"I'm returning from… an extended mission. I can't show my identity until I speak to Hokage-sama." The man reached into his pack and pulled out a headband, which he handed to Izumo.

Izumo inspected it carefully. The cloth was torn in many places and there were scratches in the metal but it was indeed a Konoha headband. Izumo looked carefully at the man one more time before handing him back the headband.

"Very well. Welcome back to Konoha."

The man nodded in response before stuffing the headband back into his pack and continuing his walk into the village. Kotetsu and Izumo turned and watched the man as he walked away. Kotetsu shifted uneasily.

"Izumo, did you notice?"

Izumo grimaced and nodded.

"He reeked of blood."

* * *

As the man slowly made his way towards the Hokage tower, he took the opportunity to scan his surroundings. Like always, the streets were filled with busy civilians going about their day-to-day activities.

_This place hasn't changed at all... Still the same old shit-hole. Leaving here was the best decision I ever made._

His nostalgic journey down the main street of Konoha came to end as he finally reached the Hokage's tower.

The man took note of the open window on the top floor.

"This ought to be fun." He muttered.

With a flash of red, the man disappeared.

It happened quite suddenly. Tsunade had just started her daily attempts at managing the mountain of paperwork that seemed to appear magically on her desk overnight.

One second she was alone in her office, and the next second she wasn't. With nothing more than a silent flash of red light, a hooded man appeared in her office. There was no sound that announced his presence. She hadn't sensed him at all. Before she could react, five ANBU members with tantos drawn surrounded him. The man raised his hands in the universal signal of surrender. Tsunade finally gathered her wits and stood up from behind her desk.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you and how did you get in here?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll need to speak to you privately before I can reveal anything." Came the gruff reply. Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"And why should I trust you?"

The man sighed.

"Because if I had wanted to harm you, you'd be quite dead by now. I had a full second before your ANBU noticed my presence, and another half second before they arrived and surrounded me. Plenty of time."

Tsunade grimaced. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. He had caught them totally unprepared.

"Fine. ANBU, leave the room." She ordered.

One of the ANBU stiffened.

"But Hokage-sama are you-" He was quickly interrupted.

"I said leave! I am a Kage and perfectly capable of protecting myself."

The ANBU who had spoken hesitated slightly before bowing.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. We'll wait outside." The ANBU agents disappeared.

She turned back towards the mysterious man.

"Now. Tell me who the fuck you are, and what the hell you want."

He sighed again.

"Oi oi, I thought you'd be a little nicer than that. Considering it's been six years since I last saw you."

Her eyes widened before narrowing at the stranger.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Who are you?!"

"I guess it makes sense that you don't know. I mean you did see me die and everything."

The man slowly reached up and lowered his hood.

Tsunade gasped as the man's face was revealed. She stared at him in shock, not believing what she was seeing. There was no way.

"What… what is the meaning of this?! You're not him! I saw the body! I read the reports! I FUCKING BURIED HIM MYSELF!"

The man shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah… sorry about that. I knew the council wouldn't let me leave, so I faked my own death. I can give you proof if you want me to."

He spread his arms out to either side of him and took a deep breath.

"My name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. I am the son of Uzumaki Kushina and the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze. I was a member of Team 7 and trained by Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan as well as Jiraiya of the Sannin. I accompanied Jiraiya to convince you to become the Godaime Hokage after old man Sarutobi died. I won your necklace when you bet that I couldn't finish my Rasengan technique in one week."

He followed up his speech by pulling said necklace out from his pack and throwing it on the Hokage's desk.

Tsunade tried to process what was going on. She grabbed the necklace and inspected it closely. It was authentic. Which would explain why she was unable to find it these last six years.

As she finally realized that the boy she had considered a son was still alive and well, tears began to fall from her eyes. She ran around the desk and wrapped Naruto in a hug while sobbing into his chest.

"You were dead! The ANBU! The Council! All the villagers saw it!"

Naruto stroked her hair softly to try and calm her down.

"Yeah, it's a really long story. I'll tell you everything about where I've been tomorrow, but today I just want to rest."

Tsunade finally finished crying, releasing Naruto from her hold and taking a step back. Upon closer inspection, she finally began to notice the changes to his appearance that had occurred in the last six years. Some of which were not exactly… normal.

Naruto had finally hit his growth spurt and was about as tall as Jiraiya. His hair had grown longer and wilder, closely resembling the style of the 4th Hokage. He was slightly more broad-shouldered than the Yondaime had been, and Tsunade blushed slightly as she remembered the muscles she had felt under his heavy traveling cloak. These were changes one would expect from someone who hadn't been seen since before they had hit puberty. However, the rest of the changes were not.

His beautiful cerulean eyes had turned blood red with fox-like slits for pupils. His whisker marks had become darker and more pronounced. His canines had elongated slightly and were readily visible at all times. She also noticed that his formerly all-blonde hair now held streaks of red.

"Naruto… What happened to you?"

He stared at her blankly before realization dawned on his face.

"Oh, you mean the fox characteristics? They're a side effect of the training I went through with Mina-chan."

She gave him a confused look.

"Who is Mina-chan?"

Naruto waived his hand in dismissal.

"Don't worry, you'll meet her tomorrow when I explain everything."

Tsunade gave a hesitant nod. She walked back towards her desk and started rummaging through drawers. Naruto watched as she appeared to look for something.

"What're you doing?"

Tsunade responded without looking up from her search.

"I'm looking for the papers to reinstate you as a shinobi of Konoha. Except I don't know which forms to use for a presumed dead man who suddenly shows up after six years."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably upon hearing her answer. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Uh yeah, about that…"

Tsunade paused when she heard the slight hesitation in his voice. She looked up at him.

"What is it?"

He sighed.

"I didn't come here to join Konoha again."

She stared at him blankly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm offering my services to Konoha in return for payment."

She gaped at him.

"WHAT?!"

Naruto gave her a hard look.

"Look, I'm no longer a Konoha shinobi. My allegiance lies elsewhere and that won't change anytime soon. I've been ordered to come here and offer my skills to Konoha, so that's why I'm here."

Tsunade once again gaped at him in shock.

"What the hell are you talking about? Konoha is your home! What about your dream to become Hokage?"

Naruto's eyes flashed angrily and he bared his fangs.

"Konoha WAS my home, but not anymore! As for becoming Hokage, I gave up on that stupid dream a long time ago."

Tsunade was taken aback by the emotion he displayed. When she thought about it, she couldn't blame him. She remembered how the villager's cheered his "death" and celebrated in the streets.

"I'll drop it for the moment, but I WILL convince you to stay. Now tell me, what do you mean by offering your skills?"

Upon hearing her question, Naruto gave a feral grin that sent shivers down Tsunade's spine.

"I hear you guys are at war."

* * *

A familiar silver-haired Konoha Jounin meandered lazily down the main road leading towards the entrance into Konoha. He had just finished another solo S-Rank mission and was returning to the village for some well-earned rest. He had one hand in his pocket and the other supporting his favorite orange book as he continued to read while he walked.

Kakashi Hatake had been quite busy since the loss of two of his students six years ago. He had refused to ever become a sensei again and dedicated himself towards as many missions as he possibly could.

Kakashi could not have been more than a few miles from Konoha when a sudden stench was picked up by his enhanced sense of smell. He paused and tried to identify the smell. Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise. He placed his book in his pocket and quickened his pace to a sprint.

As he got closer, the smell became stronger. There was no doubt about it now. It was the smell of blood.

After a minute or so, he finally stumbled upon the source of the stench. His eyes widened in surprise.

There were corpses strewn all over the road. Blood drenched the ground and was splattered on the surrounding trees. Kakashi slowly walked closer to inspect the bodies. He quickly realized that someone, or something had massacred them completely. Throats torn out, claw marks, and missing limbs made that quite clear. Kakashi felt sick to his stomach when he saw the faces of the men. They all held a look of pure horror, they're eyes locked onto whatever it was that had killed them so violently. By the looks of the tattered remains of their clothes, they appeared to be common bandits.

Further down the road, he saw another body pinned to a tree with kunai through his hands and feet. He had a gaping hole through his chest. Based on the slight difference in clothing, Kakashi guessed this man had been the leader of the group. Suddenly, the man gave a slight cough and blood flew from his mouth.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he realized the man was still alive. He rushed over, removing the kunai and lowering the dying man to the ground.

"What happened here? Who did this to you?"

The man gave another weak cough. He reached up and grabbed Kakashi's arm with a blood soaked hand. His terror-filled gaze connected with Kakashi's one visible eye.

"He… slaughtered us… like pigs… and… enjoyed it…" The man's breath hitched and his hand fell from Kakashi's arm. He watched as the life left the man's eyes.

Kakashi realized he had to return the village quickly and warn the Hokage.

* * *

AN: Naruto is back! But who is he working for now? And who is Konoha at war with? Don't worry! These questions will be answered.

I'll most likely be showing what happened during the last six years through flashbacks later on in the story, but I haven't decided yet.

I've also decided to make Naruto's personality slightly darker. For the most part he's the same, but due to the Kyuubi's influence he's become more bloodthirsty.

I already have Chapter 4 planned out so it shouldn't take too long. Once again, let me know what you think and share any ideas you have. I'm open to almost anything.

Until next time.


End file.
